Food Waste Reduction Initiative Last updated or reviewed on March 14, 2023 Happening Now April was Food Waste Reduction Month, but we’re committed year round! Check out the Food Waste Reduction Month Proclamation. If you missed the 2021 or 2022 #AVLFoodWasteChallenge don’t fret, you can always conduct a home food waste audit and share your observations with your friends and the local food waste community or play a game of food waste bingo! Keep an eye out for fun community challenges and events to reduce food waste this April! Register for the Food Waste Drop-Off program to keep your food scraps and organics out of the landfill. Learn more and register on the City of Asheville’s Composting webpage. Look for the “Save the Food Asheville” logo on sanitation trucks, social media and popping up around town as we continue collaborating with community partners to share tips and tricks to keep food out of the landfill. Keep up to date on campaign activities, events and resources by following @wncfoodwaste on social media and checking out the Food Waste Solutions WNC website HERE. Reducing food waste is as easy as 1, 2, 3 (4!) – join the fun! Have a cooking tip, photo of your compost bin or other resources to share? Use hashtag #savethefoodavl and #savethefoodwnc to keep the conversation going! Text only version linked here Background In 2017 Asheville City Council adopted a revised Food Policy Action Plan. Resolution 17-257 identified Resource Stewardship as a focus area with an objective to “create an actionable plan for city food waste recovery, composting and redistribution”. Up to 40 percent of food in the United States is wasted contributing to extensive environmental, economic and societal impacts. Up to 400 pounds of food per person is wasted annually with a family of four spending at least $1,800/year on wasted food. Here in Buncombe County an estimated 57,500 tons of food is wasted annually. This is food that could feed our neighbors, dollars that could otherwise circulate in our local economies, and landfill space dedicated to unnecessary waste. In July 2020 the Office of Sustainability Department was selected to participate in the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Food Matters Regional Initiative Southeastern cohort alongside Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, and Orlando. This project helped to build a foundation for organizing and expanding the City of Asheville’s food waste reduction initiatives in partnership with key community and Buncombe County stakeholders. Through this initiative, the Sustainability Department explored food waste strategies at city facilities, supported community coalition building and strengthened the visibility of the community food waste reduction efforts. The Food Waste Reduction Initiative aims to provide useful information and tips to residents seeking ways to reduce their household food waste, pilot opportunities for community compost drop sites, elevate the message of food waste reduction, and model food waste reduction initiatives in city facilities. Timeline 2017 City of Asheville sponsored inaugural Food Waste Summit at Warren Wilson College 2018-WNC Food Waste Solutions Network initiated, hosted 1/4ly education and networking events 2019 City of Asheville sponsored and participated as a planning member of the second Food Waste Solutions Summit at UNC Asheville 2020 – City of Asheville selected to participate in Southeast Regional Cohort of the Natural Resource Defense Council’s Food Matters initiative Launched Food Waste Reduction Initiative with 4 key strategy areas (public proclamation, compost, community engagement and education campaign, food waste audit) 2021 First Food Waste Reduction Month proclamation issued via Asheville City Council April, 2021 Food Scraps Drop-Off pilot program launched Conducted food waste snapshot audits at recreation and administration facilities Launched public food waste prevention education campaign 2022 Food Waste REduction Month proclamation issued via Buncombe County Food Scraps Drop-Off program expanded to 3 additional sites Hosted Taste it Don’t Waste it Chef competition Resources City of Asheville Sanitation Division – information on recycling and waste reduction initiatives Food Waste Solutions WNC – community network including tips, tricks, and local resources Let’s Make Compost! Supporting Documents Food Waste Reduction Month Proclamation Resolution 20-25 Climate Emergency Declaration Climate Resilience Assessment Resolution 11-77 Establishing 4% CO2 Reduction Goal Resolution 14-27 Waste Reduction Goal and Benchmarks Resolution 17-257 Food Policy Action Plan Contact Information Kiera Bulan, Sustainability Program Manager Related Services Dispose of large, seasonal or unusual items Information about disposing of large or unusual items such as furniture, household hazardous waste, or appliances. As well as instructions for brush, leaves, or Christmas trees. 3 Services Recycling guidelines Information on what can be recycled, how to prepare items for collection, and composting. 4 Services Explore Related Services
